<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Loyal Brave True by Lady_Halcyon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28852770">Loyal Brave True</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Halcyon/pseuds/Lady_Halcyon'>Lady_Halcyon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, COVID-19, Coronavirus, F/M, Female Katsuki Yuuri, Future Fic, Gen, Genderbending, Gift Fic, Inspired by Fanfiction, Inspired by Music, NHK Trophy, Past scandals, Songfic, inspired by Madam_Facilier, scandals, spelled as Yūri</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:34:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28852770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Halcyon/pseuds/Lady_Halcyon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There may come a day when Yūri finally breaks. That is a day she hopes to never see. Because if even one more scandal happens to her, it would be harder for Yūri to be loyal, brave, and true.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Katsuki Yuuri &amp; Victor Nikiforov(Implied), Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov(Implied), Past Katsuki Yuuri &amp; Original Character(s), past Katsuki Yuuri/Original Male Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Loyal Brave True</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Facilier/gifts">Madam_Facilier</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/10316054">The Cinderella Puzzle</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Facilier/pseuds/Madam_Facilier">Madam_Facilier</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Good evening! </p><p>After reading Madam_Facilier’s The Cinderella Puzzle, I couldn’t help but notice Fem!Yūri’s friendship with Madam’s OC, Venus. From what Madam_Facilier has revealed so far, Venus was involved in a scandal and is implied to be violent. Which made me wonder why Fem!Yūri is friends with Venus when everyone else is scared of her—not to say I don’t love the dynamic between the two!</p><p>This story is based on her work. I tried to keep it as vague as possible for when Madam returns with new chapters, but I imagine Yūri chose to train in Toronto. </p><p>What finally drove me to write this in one night was listening to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Loyal Brave True’, which I thought fit Yūri’s and Venus’ friendship. </p><p>Please note that the characters Yuan He Long and Venus Jones belong exclusively to Madam_Facilier! She gave me permission to use her characters here!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It doesn’t surprise Venus at all when she learns what song Yūri decides to use for her short program.</p><p>It does worry Brian and Tracy, though. Not just because it’s a song straight from a <em>Disney</em> soundtrack—the sucky live-action, to boot—but because of the lyrics. There was no missing the message Yūri was sending by choosing this song. There was no question of who the message was for.</p><p>There was no question of the grudge Yūri still held, even years after the fact.</p><p>But this was Yūri, who had eyes brimming with a determination that rarely saw the light of day. This was Yūri, now confident in her decision when in the past she would cow to the loudest voice in the room.</p><p>This was Yūri, finally acting like the star she was supposed to be before she got snuffed out like a candle.</p><p>“If Yūri loves it that much, she should go for it,” JJ says, his normally boisterous voice muffled by a mask that has his trademark initials stitched in gold. “But Brian and Tracy are right about the thing with Disney.”</p><p>Through the magic of Zoom and Skype, they’re able to see Yūri nod with a more stable connection that FaceTime could never provide. “If I can’t skate to Mulan, I’ll choose Attack on Titan for my short,” she relents.</p><p>Neither Venus nor JJ could stop the howls and cackles that follows Yūri’s answer. She doesn't get to say it often, but Venus <em>loves</em> the sheer audacity of this girl. “That’s perfect!” Venus exclaims.</p><p>“Yes! My queen!” Phichit gasps between fits of laughter.</p><p>“You know what? Scratch Mulan—go with Attack on Titan!” JJ cheers.</p><p>In the end, Brian and Tracy gave in. How could they not, when Yūri was so sure of herself?</p><p>(But JJ made Yūri swear to make whatever she had planned with Attack on Titan her exhibition. After all, there was no way they would let a program like that escape!)</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Venus doesn’t get to see the finished program until the NHK Trophy, which she had to watch online. One virus is all it takes to ground Yūri to Japan, Venus to Canada, and every other skater in the world to their countries in one fell swoop.</p><p>Whoever Yūri had coaching her in Brian’s place in Japan made sure she stayed in shape, but not having her main coach took its toll. Even though their other rink mates weren’t able to train remotely, Venus was grateful Yūri decided to make the long distance work with Brian. Even if she hadn't been able to do the same with her ex-boyfriend years ago. </p><p>Venus still hates the Shanghai Dragon. She doesn’t understand why Yūri still keeps in touch with the bastard, even after they split. Yūri might claim she stays in contact with him just for the costumes, but it's plain as day that she could never let him go.</p><p>Yuan He Long makes Yūri look like she came out of a dream. He always did love to dress her in the most delicate fabrics to add to the illusion. The floaty red fabric he used to make her new dress is no different. But watching Yūri skate across the ice and the fabric rippling with every move seems to make her the definition of poetry in motion.</p><p>Try as they might, not even the Shanghai Dragon could hide Yūri from the world. His costumes could turn her into anything Yuan desired—be it a queen, a living poem, or a femme fatale—but not even his costumes could shield Yūri from the aftermath of every scandal she had lived through.</p><p>
  <em>Tell me, underneath my armor</em>
</p><p>Yet there was Yūri, skating to a song that fit her perfectly like it had been tailored just for her. There was Yūri, asking the world—daring them to answer otherwise—that after everything she had been through—</p><p>
  <em>Am I loyal, brave, and true?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Am I loyal—</em>
</p><p>Stupidly so.</p><p>
  <em>—brave—</em>
</p><p>Patiently, yes.</p><p>
  <em>—and true?</em>
</p><p>To a fault.</p><p>And Venus remembers it well.</p><p>Losing her right to skate for her country was easy to bear. Everybody was quick to assume Venus was the monster—the evil villain who tried to destroy her rival. They were just as swift in distancing themselves from her after that.</p><p>
  <em>I am a tiger's fool</em>
</p><p>Despite all the warnings everybody gave her, Yūri never avoided her like most of the other skaters did after the incident with Tae. Everybody thought Venus had bullied Yūri. They thought there was no way timid Yūri Katsuki would brave social suicide by calling vicious <em>Venus Jones</em> a <em>friend</em>.</p><p>Venus can still remember the scandalized whispers that surrounded them. What made Yūri crazy enough to stick around her? Was it sympathy? Pity? Was she afraid of her like everybody else?</p><p>
  <em>Am I loyal, brave, and true?</em>
</p><p>The day that Yūri exploded on Badcock—declaring that <em>Venus deserved better</em> than him—was the day that Venus knew, without question, that Yūri truly cared for her.</p><p>
  <em>Am I loyal, brave, and true?</em>
</p><p>Cold were the days that Yūri suffered in the aftermath of her ruined senior debut. The days that she tried to pick herself back up from the ashes, and the day she screamed <em>‘no more’.</em></p><p>Landing gracefully from the triple Axel that she learned proudly to spite the jealous stage parents when she was still in Detroit, Yūri twizzles across the ice like a petal in the breeze.</p><p>Warm were the years Yūri learned to entrust her entire being to another’s hands. From the ice dancer who first held her body to the Shanghai Dragon who first held her heart. </p><p>Nikiforov doesn't count for shit, not while he's holding less than pure intentions. (With his face? Even an idiot knows Nikiforov just wants Yūri in his bed.)</p><p>Yūri rises from her Ina Bauer and jumps smoothly into a camel spin. Just like a music box dancer, she spins alone—without a coach to guide her; her friends to cheer for her; not even a lover to embrace her.</p><p>There may come a day when Yūri finally breaks. That is a day that Venus hopes to never see. Because if even one more scandal throws her back into the limelight, it would be harder for Yūri—</p><p>
  <em>‘…to be loyal, brave, and true…’</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have no idea if I got Venus’ characterization and mindset right—she’s such a uniquely powerful original character!</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>